Cleansing compositions have been developed with a view to achieving both an improved cleansing function and providing a mild feel and conditioning effects. As the life style diversifies, however, the consumers' demand has also been diversified, resulting in the demand for an expanded availability with respect to the external appearance and function of cleansing compositions.
Concerning the external appearance of cleansing compositions, the impartation of a pearly appearance can give a luxurious impression, and thus make consumers feel rich. As to the function of cleansing compositions, there is a demand not only for cleansing performance but also for a wide variety of functions such as the impartation of a silky feel, manageability, combing ease and the like to the hair in the case of hair cleansing compositions, for example.
To impart a pearly appearance, the use of alkylene glycol mono- or dialkylates has been known conventionally. They, however, have such a broad distribution in their alkyl chain length due to their raw materials that an intended pearly appearance can hardly be achieved. For the impartation of a silky feel, manageability, combing ease and the like, it is known to make the pH of a cleansing composition acidic. The acidification of the pH of the composition, however, involves problems that its pearlant in the form of an ester undergoes decomposition and the stability of the composition is considerably deteriorated, specifically, the composition loses its uniformity and its pearly appearance is impaired.